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Man killed in motorcyle crash

A Connelly Springs man was killed when he was thrown several hundred yards off his motorcycle after he lost control and ran off the road early Sunday.

Catawba County Sheriff's Office deputies found the body of Nathan Brittain, 26, near the intersection of Heavner Road and N.C. 10 about 1:30 p.m. Monday. According to N.C. Highway Patrol, law enforcement was searching for the man after he was reported missing Sunday.

Trooper R.E. Raper reported that Brittain was driving his 2006 motorcycle north on Heavner Road approaching the intersection of N.C. 10 West, about 10 miles West of Newton.

"He was traveling approximately 100 mph northbound on Heavner Road. Before the T-intersection, he crossed left of center, went through a stop sign and across the road ahead," Raper reported. "He collided with an embankment and was separated from the motorcycle."

Sheriff's deputies found Brittain's body about 1 p.m. on Monday. The man's family had filed a missing persons report, according to Raper.

Investigators were retracing his possible path of travel when they found indications of the motorcycle wreck, he reported.

"When they got to the stop sign, they could see where he ran straight ahead, and there was some motorcycle debris in a tree straight ahead," Raper reported. "When the detectives investigated further, he found the motorcycle and Mr. Brittain."

According to Raper's reports, Brittain had been visiting a home on Heavner Road and investigators suspect he may have been headed home to Connelly Springs at the time of the wreck.

The wreck has been attributed to speed, according to NCSHP, however, investigators do not know whether drugs or alcohol was involved, pending a toxicology report.